The New Stuff

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Signature Collection [Review]

On February 2nd, Disney Studios Entertainment released one of their most iconic fairy tale retellings, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, on a new Blu-Ray collection called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Signature Collection. The re-release provides the chance for a new generation of fans to experience the magic that captivated their parents’ hearts, while giving the old fans a chance to relive the story of Snow White without losing anything to media degradation.

What’s Inside the Box

Superseding the Diamond Collection release, The Signature Collection’s Blu Ray Disc contains an HD transfer of the meticulously crafted German fairy tale that originally graced theaters in 1937, which tells the story of a beautiful princess who met 7 friendly dwarfs while running away from her evil queen stepmother. There’s the extra content that one would expect from a Disney re-release (which we’ll get to later), and a code for a digital copy of the movie.

The Quality of the Movie

Disney did a great job with the 1080p restoration on the 2009 Blu-Ray Diamond Edition, and the Signature Collection doesn’t look different from it (it may be the same transfer.) This means if you don’t have the Diamond Edition, now would be a great time to get a copy of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. If you already have the Diamond Edition, then the digital code that comes with the new collection may be a decent enough reason to get a new one, aside from the bonus content.

The audio clarity is excellent, with the DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1 surround track offering a crystal clear experience in the most memorable musical parts, such as the dwarfstravaganzas “Whistle While You Work” and the iconic “Heigh-Ho.”

Another great feature in this collection is the DisneyView option, which is meant for people who are distracted by pillarboxes and letterboxes but don’t want to resort to stretching or cropping. The DisneyView fills the black bars with static watercolor backdrops from Disney art director Toby Bluth.

Extras

The new collection seems to have less bonus content than the 2009 release, but this is more than made up for by the digital code and the fact that it has a couple of new goodies, such as a brief audio interview with Walt Disney himself, in which the man discusses the film’s origins. There’s also an alternate take on the Prince and Snow’s meeting, a 33 documentary about the making of the film (which is an extended version of the one that appeared on the Diamond Edition), a look at 7 less-known facts about Snow White, and the extras that were previously found on the 2009 collection, such as the scrapped cartoon short sequel to Snow White and the tribute to the key animators who worked on the film.

All in all, the extras amount to more than 3 hours of resources that fans of Snow White and Walt Disney will appreciate.

Buy or Not?

If you’re in any way interested in owning a home version of one of the greatest film adaptations of the Snow White fairy tale (and one of the properties that basically put Disney on the map), then you need to get Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Signature Collection. If you already own the 2009 Diamond Collection, this can only be recommended if you really need an updated collection or just want to support the studio. The Digital Code that comes with the collection may sway your decision, but keep in mind that you can buy that same digital copy on its own.

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